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Meet the robot that trains employees by acting like an awful customer

Are you trying to train your employees how to answer questions from customers with a variety of different needs? What you’re looking for may well be a slightly creepy robot bust with a swappable face. That “Employee Training Robot” is the work of Stockholm, Sweden-based startup Furhat Robotics. Boasting a wide-angle high-res camera, stereo speakers, and beamforming microphones, the technology aims to fill the niche of an interactive robot for workplace training environments.

By projecting different faces onto its 3D-printed mask, Furhat’s robot can transform itself into a man, woman, child, or even an animal. It can do this while speaking, listening, maintaining eye contact, and even appearing to show emotions to the person it is communicating with. Unusual? Most definitely. Potentially useful? That’s the hope.

“Another thing that distinguishes Furhat is the powerful SDK that allows developers to create the world’s most advanced applications for social robots,” Al Moubayed continued. “Truly immersive and useful apps are the holy grail of social robotics, and one where we think Furhat will excel.”

The Furhat robot is available and ready to be deployed in the real world. Its cost depends on the job that it is required for.